Don't judge me. Possibly relocating from Texas. (Portland, Eugene: transplants, 2013)

[tothewolves1099]

Hello everyone, I'm not a frequent user of city-data so please forgive me for any mistakes I make!

My wife and I are considering relocating to Portland from Houston. I work in the IT industry and my wife works in Accounts Payable/Receivable. We are in our early 30s and have been fortunate enough to travel the United States and Canada for the past 7 years about 3 times a year. We love to do photography, hiking, general exploring, and enjoy sports a good amount. We do not have kids but we do have a dog (boston terrier) and two cats that would be joining us.

Things that are important to us:

1. Location - would prefer no more than a 30 minute commute to downtown (assuming thats where we would work). I do not like to live in downtown areas in general, would prefer a quiet and safe (as well as low crime) apartment complex or townhouse if possible. Would prefer to be close to hiking (do not mind driving to get to the area of hiking), dog parks, and shopping.

2. Affordability - looking at maybe $1400 - $1600 a month for 2 bedroom and would prefer something nice and somewhat modern. Would prefer not to live in an old beat up place.

3. Location - would love to be somewhere where there are lots of trees and have the pacific northwest vibe that we've grown to love so much. We've been to Vancouver Island, Seattle, Olympic National Park, and a few other places and just love the trees and the ferns..have really grown to appreciate the rainforest. Before even considering the move we plan on visiting Portland for at least a week and checking out the different areas as well as traffic tolerance testing, lol.

4. Any recommendations on where to look for a townhouse/apartment?


Questions:

1. How is the Portland job market been the past 10 years? It seems to be up and down but I could be wrong.

2. Do you guys hate transplants in real life as much as you do on the internet? Look, I get it, you take pride where you're from and don't want it to become over populated. When I was 18 I joined the Military to travel the world and they stuck me in West Texas and Iraq. Once I got out I came to Houston for an IT job and that turned out great. However, I'm really not a fan of Texas specifically Houston. Its hot, there's nothing here for me and we just love the PNW. If you were in my shoes, I'd feel for you.


Thanks so much!

[ccjarider]

I really don't think many quality people will give a rat's a-- where your from.

Find work with good people who are concentrating on making money for their company and themselves and, assuming your good at what you do, you will be welcomed and respected.

Do not let this c-d forum scare you that outsiders are "verbotten."

Wife and I moved here from midwest almost 6 yrs ago to take a new job.
Can't say I have ever heard any negative comments or even conversations on this crazy line of thought.

Good luck

[tothewolves1099]

Originally Posted by ccjarider

I really don't think many quality people will give a rat's a-- where your from.

Find work with good people who are concentrating on making money for their company and themselves and, assuming your good at what you do, you will be welcomed and respected.

Do not let this c-d forum scare you that outsiders are "verbotten."

Wife and I moved here from midwest almost 6 yrs ago to take a new job.
Can't say I have ever heard any negative comments or even conversations on this crazy line of thought.

Good luck

Appreciate that. After all, this is America, land of the free.

[therese marie]

Check out Silverton... We went there last year and loved it.. And Silverfalls State park will take your breath away..
We have plans to move ( semi retire) near Eugene next summer but "if" my husband transfers his job closer to Portland, I would pick Silverton..
And maybe Sandy.. Loved that area too ♥

[Yankeemama]

There are plenty of suburban areas that meet your criteria and are 30 minutes from downtown Portland. You will probably find a job on the west side though so if that's the case you shouldn't have a problem finding what you are looking for. Some areas in the metro have more bitter attitudes towards transplants but the west side has an abundance of transplants from everywhere so as long as you live somewhere nice, you are fine. And yesterday at the gym in my Beaverton neighborhood I saw two 30 somethings with man-buns so millineal creatives are moving wherever they can afford to. ��

[jjpop]

Originally Posted by therese marie

Check out Silverton... We went there last year and loved it.. And Silverfalls State park will take your breath away..
We have plans to move ( semi retire) near Eugene next summer but "if" my husband transfers his job closer to Portland, I would pick Silverton..
And maybe Sandy.. Loved that area too ♥

Silverton, while lovely, would be a pain as a daily commute to Portland.

OP, it all depends on where your jobs are going to be. Yankeemama alludes to the fact that many IT and tech jobs are on the west side, so you would find plenty of neighborhoods that would work for you. If you end up with a job in the Lloyd District, or someplace else on the east side of the Willamette, you really should focus your housing search over there. Traffic is bad, and it's more painful when you have to cross a river because of limited alternative routes.

[LANDSALMON2]

I agree that the Tech jobs will be in Beaverton , Tualatin or Hillsboro areas. Those are some of the most expensive areas to rent/buy.Avoid Downtown Portland, Hawthorne or the Pearl district which are trendy and getting really really spendy!

You will likely have at least a 45 min to 1.5 hr commute from anywhere along the I-5 or I 205 corridors.

Once you reconcile yourself to that( like everyone else that commutes the west side) there are some great areas available to you. Least expensive: Look at Milwaulke, Oregon City, Gladstone, West Linn. These are all along the I-205 corridor,some great neighborhoods in there.

More expensive: Tualatin, Sherwood, Wilsonville. These are along the I-5 corridor, more expensive

I live in Eagle Creek near the towns of Estacada and Sandy. This is considered the gateway to Clackamas river and Mt hood recreation areas and is very rural, farms etc but also apartments and rentals in Estacada and Sandy. Much cheaper to live out here in Clackamas county but add 30 minutes to your commute time.

I live here because we have horses and needed property , but I can tell you, coming home from work every night is like going camping! I roll the windows down in the summer and smell the fir trees and instantly relax! It's a beautiful area.

[tothewolves1099]

Originally Posted by LANDSALMON2

I agree that the Tech jobs will be in Beaverton , Tualatin or Hillsboro areas. Those are some of the most expensive areas to rent/buy.Avoid Downtown Portland, Hawthorne or the Pearl district which are trendy and getting really really spendy!

You will likely have at least a 45 min to 1.5 hr commute from anywhere along the I-5 or I 205 corridors.

Once you reconcile yourself to that( like everyone else that commutes the west side) there are some great areas available to you. Least expensive: Look at Milwaulke, Oregon City, Gladstone, West Linn. These are all along the I-205 corridor,some great neighborhoods in there.

More expensive: Tualatin, Sherwood, Wilsonville. These are along the I-5 corridor, more expensive

I live in Eagle Creek near the towns of Estacada and Sandy. This is considered the gateway to Clackamas river and Mt hood recreation areas and is very rural, farms etc but also apartments and rentals in Estacada and Sandy. Much cheaper to live out here in Clackamas county but add 30 minutes to your commute time.

I live here because we have horses and needed property , but I can tell you, coming home from work every night is like going camping! I roll the windows down in the summer and smell the fir trees and instantly relax! It's a beautiful area.

So the places in Bold are 45 min to 1.5 hour? I'm a little confused as to where I should look on my visit.

West side is likely where I'll land a job according to some of you and the recruiters I've talked to.

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by matt.wilson1984

So the places in Bold are 45 min to 1.5 hour? I'm a little confused as to where I should look on my visit.

West side is likely where I'll land a job according to some of you and the recruiters I've talked to.

Your price range will allow you to live anywhere on the west side. I would suggest you figure out employment first because there is a lot of construction in Hillsboro so I wouldn't live in Wilsonville or Tualatin if my job is in Hillsboro. I like taking 1-5 or backways that run parrelell to I-5 to get into the city from Beaverton. I avoid 26 and the areas that are adjacent to it. That's me. I know plenty of people that like Bethany or Rock Creek area.

[princessgrace79]

Your requirements are very realistic. You can probably live anywhere except really high end complexes or single family homes, otherwise your budget is doable.

30m commute is super easy as long as you avoid bottlenecks. Once you identify a job then we will be able to give you advice on where to live.

If you move here without jobs, A place like multnomah village, west slope or hillsdale would bring you close to downtown, inner eastside, but also close to Beaverton/Tigard/Tualatin and not brutally far away from Hillsboro, so would give you some freedom for job hunting, plus it's IMO more "Portland" while still being outdoorsey and fairly green/spread out